SCI members in Canada, the U.S, and across the globe are encouraged that on March 16th the Canadian government extended the amnesty period for the May 2020 Order in Council (OIC) that outlawed millions of lawfully registered firearms. Prime Minister (PM) Justin Trudeau and his party ignorantly touted the gun control measure as an “assault-style” weapons ban. The OIC, however, outlaws over 2,000 makes and models of firearms, many of which are widely used for hunting, sporting, and self-defense.
“While the deferral is a temporary win for hunters and sportsmen and women across Canada,” says SCI CEO W. Laird Hamberlin, “PM Trudeau’s gun confiscation scheme is woefully misguided, illogical, and lazy. It treats law-abiding Canadian gun owners and hunters as if they were criminals, all at enormous cost to taxpayers and places an undue burden of enforcement on government officials and law enforcement.”
The recent delay is undoubtedly a splash of cold water on the Canadian government’s irrational gun control mission. Officially, the Canadian government gives only one explanation for the extension: it provides more time for officials to implement a buy-back program. SCI and other sporting groups in Canada, however, attribute the change to the obvious difficulty and expense of confiscating guns from law-abiding citizens.
The OIC amnesty deferral is undoubtedly a step in the right direction, but full repeal is essential to protect the rights of hunters and sportsmen in Canada. Supporters of the ban are inherently motivated by emotion and firearm cosmetics they deem “scary,” lacking any knowledge or experience of the actual uses of firearms. Evidence-based legislation to decrease violent gun crime is critical, but foolish plans to arbitrarily confiscate firearms from citizens will only produce unfavorable results for hunters and non-hunters alike.
Over 230,000 Canadians have signed a petition urging for the repeal of PM Trudeau’s unsound gun control policy, stating the need for laws that “targets criminals, stops the smuggling of firearms into Canada, goes after those who illegally acquire firearms, and apologizes to legal firearms owners in Canada.”
SCI and SCI Canada are in complete agreement with this sentiment and urge PM Trudeau to end his crusade against lawful gun owners and Canada’s hunting heritage.
